This report provides an overview of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing process, the preliminary site activities that have taken place in the current fiscal year (FY-06), and the site-related plans for FY-07. The NRC maintains oversight of the construction and operation of a facility throughout its lifetime to assure compliance with the Commission's regulations for the protection of public health and safety, the common defense and security, and the environment. To implement this process, all nuclear power plant applications must undergo a safety review, an environmental review, and antitrust review by the NRC.

The Institutional Computing Executive Group (ICEG) review of FY05-06 Multiprogrammatic and Institutional Computing (M and IC) activities is presented in the attached report. In summary, we find that the M and IC staff does an outstanding job of acquiring and supporting a wide range of institutional computing resources to meet the programmatic and scientific goals of LLNL. The responsiveness and high quality of support given to users and the programs investing in M and IC reflects the dedication and skill of the M and IC staff. M and IC has successfully managed serial capacity, parallel capacity, and capability computing resources. Serial capacity computing supports a wide range of scientific projects which require access to a few high performance processors within a shared memory computer. Parallel capacity computing supports scientific projects that require a moderate number of processors (up to roughly 1000) on a parallel computer. Capability computing supports parallel jobs that push the limits of simulation science. M and IC has worked closely with Stockpile Stewardship, and together they have made LLNL a premier institution for computational and simulation science. Such a standing is vital to the continued success of laboratory science programs and to the recruitment and retention of …

This document presents the qualitative comparison of DOE’s formal determination of energy savings of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004. The term “qualitative” is used in the sense of identifying whether or not changes have a positive, negative, or neutral impact on energy efficiency of the standard, with no attempt made to quantify that impact. A companion document will present the quantitative comparison of DOE’s determination. The quantitative comparison will be based on whole building simulation of selected building prototypes in selected climates. This document presents a comparison of the energy efficiency requirements in ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1999 (herein referred to as Standard 90.1-1999) and ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2004 (herein referred to as Standard 90.1-2004). The comparison was done through a thorough review of all addenda to Standard 90.1-1999 that were included in the published ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2001 (herein referred to as Standard 90.1-2001) and also all addenda to Standard 90.1-2001 that were included in the published Standard 90.1-2004. A summary table showing the impact of each addendum is provided. Each addendum to both Standards 90.1-1999 and 90.1-2001 was evaluated as to its impact on the energy efficiency requirements of the standard (greater efficiency, lesser efficiency) and as to significance. The final section of this document summarizes …

Figure 1 shows the resistivity models considered in this study; log10 of the resistivity is shown. The graph on the upper left hand side shows a hypothetical resisitivity well log measured along a well in the upper layered model; 10% Gaussian noise has been added to the well log data. The lower model is identical to the upper one except for one square area located within the second deepest layer. Figure 2 shows the electrode configurations considered. The ''reference'' case (upper frame) considers point electrodes located along the surface and along a vertical borehole. The ''CPT electrode'' case (middle frame) assumes that the CPT tip serves as an electrode that is electrically connected to the push rod; the surface electrodes are used in conjuction with the moving CPT electrode. The ''isolated CPT electrode'' case assumes that the electrode at the CPT tip is electrically isolated from the pushrod. Note that the separate CPT push rods in the middle and lower frames are shown separated to clarify the figure; in reality, there is only one pushrod that is changing length as the probe advances. Figure 3 shows three pole-pole measurement schemes were considered; in all cases, the ''get lost'' electrodes were …

This report summarizes the research performed on the LDRD project 02-ERD-071 to develop a quantum-limited microwave amplifier based on a dc Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (dc-SQUID). This project began in June 2002 and concluded in May 2005. This project produced the lowest noise temperature amplifiers ever produced, both in absolute terms and in relation to the Standard Quantum Limit. Being an order of magnitude lower in noise than the best HFET devices available, they are of great interest to a number of groups. Potential applications are numerous, from dark-matter searches to national security applications in Quantum Information Processing. Collaborations started during this project are continuing with the goal of single-spin detection using the rf-SET. Publications are forthcoming covering both the experimental results and the theoretical modeling. The most important publication with the noise temperature results will appear after the low frequency follow-up experiment. The other publications in production cover the input impedance measurements and the resulting transmission line models.

This report describes a study designed to explore the different properties of two different chalcogenide materials, As2S3 and As24S38Se38, when subjected to photolithographic wet-etching techniques. Chalcogenide glasses are made by combining chalcogen elements S, Se, and Te with Group IV and/or V elements. The etchant was selected from the literature and was composed of sodium hydroxide, isopropyl alcohol, and deionized water and the types of chalcogenide glass for study were As2S3 and As24S38Se38. The main goals here were to obtain a single variable etch rate curve of etch depth per time versus NaOH overall solution concentration in M and to see the difference in etch rate between a given etchant when used on the different chalcogenide stoichiometries. Upon completion of these two goals, future studies will begin to explore creating complex, integrated photonic devices via these methods.

Pathomics is a research project to explore the feasibility for developing biosignatures for early infectious disease detection in humans, particularly those that represent a threat from bioterrorism. Our goal is to use a science-based approach to better understand the underlying molecular basis of disease and to find sensitive, robust, and specific combinations of biological molecules (biosignatures) in the host that will indicate the presence of developing infection prior to overt symptoms (pre-syndromic). The ultimate goal is develop a national surveillance system for monitoring for the release and managing the consequences of a biothreat agent or an emerging disease. Developing the science for a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of infectious disease and the development of biosignature-based diagnostics could help detect both emerging and engineered treats to humans.

The MPI deliverables for the Purple system were designed to ensure that applications which depend on MPI benefit from a robust, functionally complete, and high performance MPI. We specifically targeted three categories of MPI validation: robustness, functionally complete, and high performance. These three categories were intended to address the following needs: (1) Robustness - It doesn't matter how fast you arrive at an answer if the answer is wrong. Since any new flagship machine for the DOE complex will have pushed the envelope for scale, tests were designed to investigate behavior at scale. (2) Functionally complete - MPI functionality concerns usually deal more with coverage than concerns over correctness (no doubt a result of the maturity of the specification). We validated the desired interfaces are present and their operation proceeds as expected. (3) High performance - For a software stack to be considered 'high performance' it must efficiently deliver the capabilities of the underlying hardware and provide levels of performance in keeping with the leading machines of the time. LLNL established separate items for each of the three component areas of robustness, functionally complete, and high performance. Included in functionality was a demonstration of scaling to 8192 tasks, a demonstration …

PNNL was tasked by DOE to look at HVAC systems and equipment for Benchmark buildings based on 2003 CBECS data. This white paper summarizes the results of PNNL’s analysis of 2003 CBECS data and provides PNNL’s recommendations for HVAC systems and equipment for use in the Benchmark buildings.

Previous work relevant to current efforts is summarized. A description of an improved version of a new electrochemical probe, the ArtPit, is given. The distinct feature of the probe for investigating metastable pitting of carbon steels is specified and compared to other approaches. The electrochemical response of the ArtPit under the gamma irradiation and elevated temperature conditions that occur at high level waste (HLW) storage tanks is presented. In particular, the Tafel slope determinations and chemical analyses of the ArtPit confined volume electrolyte are described. Based on results a possible approach for reducing the corrosion rate of HLW tank walls is suggested. Additional statistical analysis of the occurrence of short duration (passivated pits) and long term (stable pitting) electrochemical pulses (current surges) during exposure confirm that radiation enhances the occurrence of both more and smaller sized pits due to increased likelihood of repassivation.

Colleagues of mine have asked me few times why we have today so much interest in Fixed-Field Alternating-Gradient (FFAG) accelerators when these were invented a long time ago, and have always been ignored since then. I try here to give a reply with a short history of FFAG accelerators, at least as I know it. I take also the opportunity to clarify few definitions.

The volume of water available for groundwater recharge through the infiltration of surface runoff in Cold and Dry Creeks was estimated for a 100-year storm and the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) of Skaggs and Walters (1981). A 100-year, 7-day design storm was developed from 40 years of precipitation data measured at the Hanford Meteorological Station (HMS). Runoff measured in Upper Cold Creek was used with HMS precipitation data to calculate curve numbers for the Soil Conservation Service rainfall-runoff model. The estimated water available for recharge from surface runoff produced by the 100-year storm is 3-6 times the annual recharge rate from direct infiltration of precipitation over the Hanford Site. Potential recharge from the PMP is 7-11 times the annual volume of direct recharge.

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The U.S. Department of Energy's mission is to protect the Columbia River, a vital regional asset, and the public in cities and towns near the Site. To make decisions and comply with a complex system of regulations, DOE needs reliable, accurate data about the Site. Where are the contaminants now? At what concentrations? What impact do the contaminants have on people that work on the Site and live nearby? To answer these questions and others, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists collect and analyze thousands of soil, groundwater, surface water, plant, and animal samples. The results are then communicated to DOE through reports and conceptual models.

Teleoperation has found much application in today's society. While its benefits make it advantageous in many situations, teleoperation also introduces new challenges. In this paper, we present techniques to improve teleoperation performance by making better use of the human's inherent skills.

This dissertation presents the highest four-momentum transfer, Q^2,quasielastic (x_Bj = 1) results from Experiment E01-020 which systematically explored the 2He(e,e'p)n reaction ("Electro-disintegration" of the deuteron) at three different four-momentum transfers, Q^2 = 0.8, 2.1, and 3.5 GeV^2 and missing momenta, P_miss = 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 GeV including separations of the longitudinal-transverse interference response function, R_LT, and extractoin of the longitudinal-transverse asymmetry, A_LT. This systematic approach will help to understand the reaction mechanism and the deuteron structure down to the short range part of the nucleon-nucleon interaction which is one of the fundamental missions of nuclear physics. By studying the very short distance structure of the deuteron, one may also determine whether or to what extent the description of nuclei in terms of nucleon/meson degrees of freedom must be supplemented by inclusion of explicit quark effects. The unique combination of energy, current, duty factor, and control of systematics for Hall A at Jefferson Lab made Jefferson Lab the only facility in the world where these systematic studies of the deuteron can be undertaken. This is especially true when we want to understand the short range structure of the deuteron where high energies and high luminosity/duty factor are …

In this report, we present: -- The Pitzer ion-interactiontheory and models -- Input file requirements for using the TOUGHREACTPitzer ion-interaction model and associated databases -- Run-time errormessages -- Verification test cases and application examples. For themain code structure, features, overall solution methods, description ofinput/output files for parameters other than those specific to theimplemented Pitzer model, and error messages, see the TOUGHREACT User'sGuide (Xu et al., 2005). The TOUGHREACT Pitzer version runs on aDEC-alpha architecture CPU, under OSF1 V5.1, with Compaq Digital FortranCompiler. The compiler run-time libraries are required for execution aswell as compilation. The code also runs on Intel Pentium IV andhigher-version CPU-based machines with Compaq Visual Fortran Compiler orIntel Fortran Compiler (integrated with the Microsoft DevelopmentEnvironment). The minimum hardware configuration should include 1 GB RAMand 1 GB (2 GB recommended) of available disk space.

Just as automobiles need fuel to operate, so do nuclear reactors. When fossil fuels such as gasoline are burned to power an automobile, they are consumed immediately and nearly completely in the process. When the fuel is gone, energy production stops. Nuclear reactors are incapable of achieving this near complete burn-up because as the fuel (uranium) that powers them is burned through the process of nuclear fission, a variety of other elements are also created and become intimately associated with the uranium. Because they absorb neutrons, which energize the fission process, these accumulating fission products eventually poison the fuel by stopping the production of energy from it. The fission products may also damage the structural integrity of the fuel elements. Even though the uranium fuel is still present, sometimes in significant quantities, it is unburnable and will not power a reactor unless it is separated from the neutron-absorbing fission products by a method called fuel reprocessing. Construction of the Fuel Reprocessing Complex at the Chem Plant started in 1950 with the Bechtel Corporation serving as construction contractor and American Cyanamid Company as operating contractor. Although the Foster Wheeler Corporation assumed responsibility for the detailed working design of the overall plant, …

Resonance enhancement of the quantum efficiency of new polarized electron photocathodes based on a short-period strain-compensated AlInGaAs/GaAsP superlattice structure is reported. The superlattice is a part of an integrated Fabry-Perot optical cavity. We demonstrate that the Fabry-Perot resonator enhances the quantum efficiency by up to a factor 10 in the wavelength region of the main polarization maximum. The high structural quality implied by these results points to the very promising application of these photocathodes for spin-polarized electron sources.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI), together with Hamworthy Peabody Combustion Incorporated (formerly Peabody Engineering Corporation), the University of Utah, and Far West Electrochemical have developed and demonstrated an innovative combustion system suitable for natural gas and coke-oven gas firing within the steel industry. The combustion system is a simple, low-cost, energy-efficient burner that can reduce NOx by more than 75%. The U.S. steel industry needs to address NOx control at its steelmaking facilities. A significant part of NOx emissions comes from gas-fired boilers. In steel plants, byproduct gases – blast furnace gas (BFG) and coke-oven gas (COG) – are widely used together with natural gas to fire furnaces and boilers. In steel plants, natural gas can be fired together with BFG and COG, but, typically, the addition of natural gas raises NOx emissions, which can already be high because of residual fuel-bound nitrogen in COG. The Project Team has applied its expertise in low-NOx burners to lower NOx levels for these applications by combining advanced burner geometry and combustion staging with control strategies tailored to mixtures of natural gas and byproduct fuel gases. These methods reduce all varieties of NOx – thermal NOx produced by high flame temperatures, prompt NOx produced …

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During this contract period, a number of papers were published. The papers prior to this report have been reported in earlier annual reports. This final report covers the 2005 & 2006 publications which have been published as well as the last few which have been submitted, but are still under review for acceptance for publication. The titles and abstracts of the papers are presented in section A, and the full published papers in Section B.

Brookhaven National Laboratory has prepared a conceptual design for a world class user facility for scientific research using synchrotron radiation. This facility, called the ''National Synchrotron Light Source II'' (NSLS-II), will provide ultra high brightness and flux and exceptional beam stability. It will also provide advanced insertion devices, optics, detectors, and robotics, and a suite of scientific instruments designed to maximize the scientific output of the facility. Together these will enable the study of material properties and functions with a spatial resolution of {approx}1 nm, an energy resolution of {approx}0.1 meV, and the ultra high sensitivity required to perform spectroscopy on a single atom. The overall objective of the NSLS-II project is to deliver a research facility to advance fundamental science and have the capability to characterize and understand physical properties at the nanoscale, the processes by which nanomaterials can be manipulated and assembled into more complex hierarchical structures, and the new phenomena resulting from such assemblages. It will also be a user facility made available to researchers engaged in a broad spectrum of disciplines from universities, industries, and other laboratories.

Using a large sample of D{sup +} {yields} K{sup -}K{sup +}{pi}{sup +} decays collected by the FOCUS photoproduction experiment at Fermilab, we present the first non-parametric analysis of the K{sup -} {pi}{sup +} amplitudes in D{sup +} {yields} K{sup -}K{sup +}{pi}{sup +} decay. The technique is similar to the technique used for our non-parametric measurements of the D{sup +} {yields} {bar K}*{sup 0} e{sup +}{nu} form factors. Although these results are in rough agreement with those of E687, we observe a wider S-wave contribution for the {bar K}*{sub 0}{sup 0}(1430) contribution than the standard, PDG [1] Breit-Wigner parameterization. We have some weaker evidence for the existence of a new, D-wave component at low values of the K{sup -} {pi}{sup +} mass.